Pages

Wednesday, 23 November 2011

Meet Jonelle!

Meet Jonelle, she's is also a blogger and blogs about her quest to add to her family after so many heartbreaks. Sometimes it is really difficult to stay positive when we struggle so much to achieve what for others is so easy. Jonelle is now pursuing adoption, if you want to follow her story she blogs at "Somewhere in the Middle".

What type of ectopic pregnancy did you experience?
My ectopic was in my right tube, near my ovary in February 2008. I was inbetween cycles, after having finished a Clomid cycle (hpt at the RE's office was negative) and waiting to start my period so I could have an HSG to start injections. (I didn't know I was pregnant until I was admited in the ER).

What were your symptoms?
I had spotting for about a week, and then a week later, out of nowhere severe pelvic pain-like cramping all over, not exclusive to one side. I had been waiting for my period, so I thought it was cramps. When the pain got worse and accompanied by pressure when I had to pee, I thought I had a UTI (even though I had never experienced one).

How was your experience with the doctors?
I was in the ER (A&E) for the first 24+ hours before I was transferred to a hospital that would treat me (the insurance that I had wasn't compatible with the local hospital my dad intitally took my too [DH was teaching a night class and couldn't take me to a hospital that would take our insurance]). In that time (24+ hours), I wasn't given any pain meds (I have a high pain tolerance) or anything to eat, because in a way, I think they knew I was surgical (being fitted for an IV fluid port kinda gave it away). The three different doctors that examined me while in the ER told me that they didn't think it was an ectopic, but an ovarian cyst. I even had an ultrasound and they told me I had "fluid" in my uterus, but they didn't know what kind of fluid.

How were you treated? (surgery, MTX)
Once I was transferred to another hospital, I was seen immediately by an OB. He did an ultrasound and told me that the "fluid' in the uterus was actually blood. And the shoulder pain I was now experiencing was blood pooling in my abdomen. I was rushed into emergency surgery within the hour. I had to have my right tube removed.

Can you tell us a bit about your emotions, family support (if shared) etc.?
My emotions were incredibly raw after it happened. After four years of struggling to get pregnant, it finally happened and it was an ectopic. I was very upset at myself too, hindsight plays evil tricks when grieving. I kept telling myself, if only I had taken another pregnancy test, if only I had made my dad take me to a Kaiser hospital, if only I had made my RE give me an HSG (which he refused as I "wasn't ovulating anyway, so what's the point"). My mom and husband were great. When DH had to go back to work the next day after surgery, my mom came over with breakfast and took care of me. She listened to me talk and cry. DH was the same, we talked an cried together. Even my cat wouldn't leave me alone.

What happened since your ectopic pregnancy?
May 2008 an HSG cleared my left tube and declared my uterus "unremarkable", we moved onto treatment with injections and IUI procedures in August 2008. I had eight medicated IUI cycles (4 cancelled due to incorrect ovary response). The very last cycle (July/August 2009) resulted in a chemical pregnancy, that was when DH and I decided to stop treatment and stop trying altogether. We agreed that grief counselling would be the best thing for us to help us move on from infertility and onto domestic infant adoption. In August 2010 we found an adoption agency. In December 2010 our homestudy was approved. In September 2011 we were matched, a month later the matched failed. Now we are waiting to be matched again.